US Consul General joins cleanup activity in Erbil
“Please protect its environment and pack your trash out with you and dispose of it properly.”
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – US Consul General Robert Palladino participated in a cleanup activity in the area around the Shaheedan Monument in Erbil’s Kasnazan heights initiated by Zero Waste team members and volunteers on Saturday.
“The Zero Waste project was founded by five #IYLEP Alumni with the goal of protecting the environment. The cleanup included the removal of plastic and glass left at the site,” the US Consulate General Erbil said in a Facebook post on Sunday.
“The IKR (Iraqi Kurdistan Region) is your homeland, please protect its #environment and pack your trash out with you and dispose of it properly. Protecting the environment and combating climate change is a major policy priority of the current US administration,” the US Consulate General Erbil added.
CG Palladino accompanied by the Consulate’s Green Team participated in an eco-friendly cleanup activity initiated by Zero Waste team members & volunteers in the surroundings of Shaheedan Monument in Kasnazan in #Erbil. Zero Waste project was founded by 5 IYLEP Alumni … (1-2) pic.twitter.com/w5Jhcgx1H0
— U.S. Consulate General Erbil (@USConGenErbil) May 29, 2022
The Consulate’s Green Team accompanied Palladino during the cleanup.
Many touristic and nature sites and streets in the Kurdistan Region are often covered with trash, especially after large gatherings and picnics.
In April, the Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani set aside a budget of nearly six billion Iraqi dinars (almost $4 million) to the Duhok governorate for cleaning and waste management in the province.
Read More: PM Barzani allocates 6 billion Iraqi dinars for cleaning, waste management in Duhok
At the 2021 Middle East Research Institute (MERI) forum late last October, Prime Minister Barzani said that citizens and individuals are responsible for keeping the Kurdistan Region’s environment clean.
“We cannot only rely on some companies to come and collect our waste,” he said. “We should know how to keep our air, land, and water clean, and I’m asking all of the citizens of Kurdistan to respect the environment.”
